19. CHELONIIDM 



high water level. Here she digs a hole with her fins. In 

 this hole, from one to two feet deep, she lays from one to 

 two hundred eggs. She then scrapes the sand back over the 

 eggs and levels and smooths the surface. The eggs are nearly 

 spherical and are enclosed in leathery shells. The young 

 enter the water as soon as hatched. The food of this turtle 

 consists mostly of marine plants. 



Genus 57. Caretta 



Caretta Rafinesque, Specchio Sci. (Palmero), Vol. 2, No. 9, 1814, p. 

 66 (type, nasuta=caretta) . 



The shell is covered with thin horny plates which are not 

 imbricate. There are two pairs of prefrontal plates. The 

 head is very large. There usually are more than four costals 

 and often more than five vertebrals. 



231. Caretta olivacea (Eschscholtz) 

 Pacific Loggerhead Turtle 



Chelonia olivacea Eschscholtz, Zool. Atlas, Pt. i, 1829, p. 2, pi. 3 (type 



locality, Manila Bay, P. I.). 

 Lepidochelys olivacea Van Denburgh, Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., Ser. 2, 



Vol. V, 1896, p. 1008. 

 Carttta olivacea Stejneger & Barbour, Check List N. Amer. Amph. 



Rept., 1917, p. 123; Van Denbu«gh & Slevin, Proc. Cal. Acad. 



Sci., Ser. 4, Vol. XI, 1921, p. 53; Nelson, Mem. Nat. Acad. Sci., 



Vol. XVI, 1921, p. 114- 



Description. — Forelimbs long, paddle-shaped, usually 

 with two claws. Head covered above with large plates of 

 which two pairs occupy the prefrontal region; frontal rather 

 small; interparietal largest. Horny plates of shell thin, 

 little if at all imbricate; costals usually more than four and 

 vertebrals often more than five. A series of plates between 

 marginals and large plastral plates. Young specimens have 

 the costals and vertebrals more or less strongly keeled. 



